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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has reiterated that the team will continue to prioritise the development of its 2022 Formula 1 car, despite conceding Red Bull has the “faster package at the moment.”
Red Bull claimed back-to-back pole positions for the first time in the same season since 2013 as Max Verstappen beat the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton to land his third pole of the year on home soil at the Styrian Grand Prix.
Hamilton had no answer to Verstappen’s pace throughout qualifying despite unusually completing three runs on the soft tyres in Q3 in an unsuccessful bid to usurp Red Bull. The Briton ended up 0.266s adrift around one of the shortest tracks on the calendar.
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Max Verstappen scored back-to-back Formula 1 pole positions for the first time in his career as he continued his stranglehold on this year’s drivers’ title. Lewis Hamilton will line up alongside him on the front row as F1’s two heavyweights go head-to-head yet again at the Red Bull Ring. Will Mercedes outsmart Red Bull this time around?
Here s what to look out for in Formula 1 s 2021 Styrian Grand Prix…
Mercedes’ chance to outsmart Red Bull
Red Bull deservedly received a lot of plaudits after the French Grand Prix for its aggressive two-stop strategy that allowed Verstappen to claim his third victory of the season, overtaking title rival Hamilton on track, on the penultimate lap.